In building reconstruction and remodeling, contractors often encounter building components, particularly window and door casings and framing which may contain lead paint and/or other noxious and unsafe materials.
Good practices, as well as an increasing number of federal and municipal regulations, require safe clean-up procedures for the protection of the workers, as well as the environment, during restoration, repair, renovation and removal operations.
Lead exposure is known as a hazard to young children and babies. Even children who seem healthy can have high levels of lead in their bodies from exposure to contaminated materials. Lead can be absorbed in the body by breathing or swallowing lead dust, or by eating soil or paint chips containing lead. In most cases, lead-based paint that is in good condition is not a hazard, but this does not ordinarily remain the case during renovations.
Breathing lead dust, especially during renovations that disturb painted surfaces, is particularly hazardous and must be avoided to minimize dangerous levels of absorption. Lead exposure is more dangerous and acute when children are involved, as babies and young children will often put their hands and other objects in their mouths. Any of these objects can have lead dust on them. Furthermore, children's brains and nervous systems are more sensitive to the damaging effects of lead.
Lead from paint chips, which can sometimes be seen, and lead dust, which often cannot be seen, are both serious hazards. Peeling, chipping, chalking, or cracking lead-based paint are other sources of hazardous exposure and require immediate remediation.
Surfaces which experience a lot of wear-and-tear often cause lead hazards to accumulate and include windows and window sills, doors and door frames, stairs, railings, banisters, porches and fences. Lead dust can form when lead-based paint is dry scraped, dry sanded, or heated. Dust also forms when painted surfaces rub together. Lead chips and dust can get on surfaces and objects that people touch. Settled lead dust can re-enter the air when people vacuum, sweep or walk through it.
Removing lead-based paint improperly can increase the dangers of exposure to lead and lead dust. To permanently remove lead hazards, a trained and certified lead abatement contractor must be utilized. Abatement (or permanent hazard elimination) methods include removing, sealing, or enclosing lead-based paint with special materials. Painting over the hazard with regular paint is not sufficient, particularly during renovations which may require wholesale removal of large portions of building structures.
As of Apr. 22, 2010, federal law requires that renovation firms must be certified under the Environmental Protection Agency's Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule. Individuals must be trained in lead-safe work practices and training providers must be accredited by the EPA. Additional information is available from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency at http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/lead/index.html.
Numerous abatement and mitigation systems have been previously developed as may be seen in the U.S. Patent Publications submitted herewith which are each incorporated herein by reference, including, U.S. Pat. No. 4,786,296, U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,644, U.S. Pat. No. 4,853,042, U.S. Pat. No. 4,857,085, U.S. Pat. No. 5,004,483, U.S. Pat. No. 5,080,701, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,131,934.
It will be recognized, however, that the prior systems each exhibit deficiencies in effectiveness, convenience, adaptability and expense. These features and others are addressed and improved by the present system and method.